The Red Door Experience, Inishowen

Denise Henry, Marketing, Inishowen Tourism

The 4* Red Door Country House Restaurant and B&B, pictured above, is nestled beside the ancient area of Fahan, on the shores of Lough Swilly and located a short drive from Buncrana, a picturesque seaside town on the Western side of the Inishowen Peninsula. On approach to the Red Door it is hard to deny the stunning views from the moment you step out of the car and make your way to the entrance. 

During your visit you will be surrounded by picturesque gardens, colourful flowerbeds and a carefully maintained landscape that emphasizes the unspoiled nature of the area.

A Meal With A View

At The Red Door Restaurant, pictured above, you will notice the interior design is inviting, stylish and quirky. The seating arrangement in place, allows you to take advantage of the wonderful views surrounding the grounds. With this in mind, as you can see below, you can enjoy a meal with beautiful views.

History on The Door Step: Fahan Abbey

Located a short walk from the hotel is Fahan, the site of an important ancient abbey founded in the 6th century. On a visit to the Abbey you can view the beautifully carved St Muras Cross, pictured below. The decorated cross and associated grave slab is thought to date from the 7th Century and is believed to mark the Saints grave. 

Also on site you can view the grave of Agnes Jones (1832 – 64) a nursing pioneer from Fahan Inishowen. Agnes trained alongside Florence Nightingale and worked tirelessly to improve the dreadful conditions that existed in workhouses during the 1850s in Liverpool.

Find Out More

http://thereddoor.ie/

www.facebook.com/TheRedDoorFahan

https://twitter.com/TheRedDoorFahan

The Mill, Owenkillew River, Buncrana - PhotoWalk

The Old Mill, Buncrana

In 1905, Buncrana was the first town in Co. Donegal to get electricity, generated at Swan's Mill. There is an open public walk along the river and there are falls under the Mill Bridge.

It provided the town, the first in Donegal, with a domestic supply until it was supplanted by the ESB rural electrification scheme in 1954.

Swan Mill generated electricity at the Mill River falls for the Buncrana Electricity Supply Company.



See the map below, for more detail of the walkway around this hidden gem in Inishowen.

Embracing education and tourism development

“Let’s meet the students” Tourism awareness project-  By Heidi Woods Tourism Development Officer

Inishowen Tourism has focused their research and development on the children and teenagers attending schools in Inishowen over the past week. On this occasion a welcome addition to the theme of tourism was combined with education. Charlie McCarron who has been compiling valuable research on a community engagement project kindly invited the Inishowen Tourism team to present to the transitional (TY) students at Crana College, Buncrana. He has been working closely within the community, and it was a pleasure to provide students with some insight on the tourism sector; marketing activities at Inishowen Tourism. This was an opportunity to generate some ideas for their individual/group projects, and share thoughts on their locality. A selection of short videos, a brief overview of the methods we utilise, and a sample of our brochures we print were at hand for the students to browse through during the session. We would like to thank Charlie McCarron, and wish him well with his ongoing research.

Know Your Region- Part One

Know Your Region- Failte Ireland team up with Tourism Industry providers to “Take a trip on the Wild Atlantic Way” Inishowen Take the Day Trips and share the “Experiences”

 By Heidi Woods – Inishowen Tourism Development Officer

Since the launch of the “Wild Atlantic Way”, a major tourism initiative for the western seaboard in March 2014, interest in the long distance route has superseded expectations of the service providers and visitors alike. Tourist Offices such as Buncrana, here in Inishowen have seen a dramatic increase in visitor numbers during 2014, and furthermore during the first half of 2015. Inishowen Tourist Office has had a 34% increase in footfall in comparison to the same period in the previous year.

The Donegal section of the Wild Atlantic Way showcases 1,100 kilometres of coastline, and boasts the most Blue Flag beaches, a total of 13.

Bundoran, Rossnowlagh, Murvagh/Laghy, Fintra/Killybegs, Naran/Portnoo, Carrickfinn/Anagary, Killahoey/Dunfanaghy, Downings/Rosguill Peninsula, Magherwarden/Portsalon, Fanad, Lisfannon/Fahan, Shroove, Culdaff.  

	Donegal has been described in Failte Ireland literature as “Untouched, off the radar and crying out for exploration”. Locals resonate that in terms of tourism, improvements in infrastructure as a gateway to the North “we are the forgotten county”. However, the WAW new route has finally highlighted an opportunity to discover the beauty of this county driving through some of the most picturesque areas in Ireland. It encapsulates rugged and remote iconic sights, in a region that is rich in archaeological content, steeped cultural tradition, expressed through music and language that expands the mind, body, and soul in Donegal.

Inishowen Welcomes Silverdale Coaches

On Sunday 4^th of October, Buncrana welcomed a tour of over forty visitors from Nottingham, England. The tour was organised by Silverdale Coaches in conjunction with Inishowen Tourism. The relationship between Silverdale Coaches and Inishowen Tourism was established after members of Inishowen Tourism, Donegal Tourism and local councillors attended the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Nottingham. Thus, a reciprocal visit was organised. Another important factor that helped facilitate this event was due to the owner of Sliverdale Coaches; John Doherty was originally from the Inishowen area.  During their stay in Inishowen at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel the visitors;

•  Enjoyed a guided tour around the Inishowen Peninsula taking in some of its most scenic and majestic views along The Wild Atlantic Way/Inishowen 100 route,
• Visited the Donegal County Council chamber along with a morning reception with some of its members,
• Day trip to the Daniel O’Donnell Centre in Dungloe,
• Quality time exploring Buncrana and its surrounding area, 
• Tour of Derry and shopping

Overall, the visitors from Nottingham had an enjoyable trip to the area and could not praise enough the helpful staff at the hotel and the friendliness of the Inishowen people. We look forward to seeing them and Silverdale Coaches return here in the near future.